Cover for loose-leaf books and method of making same



April 28, 1931. c. D. TRUSSELL COVER FOR LOOSE LEAF BOOKS AND METHOD OF MAKING sA'ME Filed July 2, 1926 By Alior neys, v

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TRUSSELL MAN- 'UFACTURING COMPANY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEVI YORK COVER FOR LOOSE-LEAF BOOKS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application filed July 2, 1226. Serial No. 120,053.

hinged book covers are set forth in my pending applications Nos. 430,581, filed December 13, 1920, and 10,586, filed February 20, 1925. The nature of the invention will be made apparent as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the back portion 'of a loose-leaf ring book and cover,

showing the rings closed and the book cover partly open.

Fig. 2 is a plan, partly broken away in section, of the book back, viewed from the inside, and the engaging portion of one of the sides of the book, these members being separated at their hinges for greater clea-rness.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the back, looking from the line 33 in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the side of the cover looking from the line 4-4111 Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the back, the leather being partly removed to show the metal back plate.

Figs. 6, 7 and '8 are transverse sections of the back showing different stages in the manufacture thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the loose-leaf binder consists of a cover A of leather or other suitable material, and loose-leaf binding rings, prongs or the like illustrated conventionally at B, as being of a well-known construction, the divided rings being engaged by a spring plate C to press them together when closed and hold them open when opened. The back plate D is also shown fastened against the inner. face of the cover back.

The cover A is composed of a back a and sides 6, Z). hinged together at c, c by metal hinges, including hinge pintles, in a usual way. The book back a is commonly and preferably made with an externally convex curve as shown. 1

Within the back a is embedded a metal stiffening plate cl which may also serve as a hinge plate, and within the sides are embedded metal plates e, 6. These several plates cl, 6, e are shown as formed with hinge ears 0, 0 respectively, which, when the ears are brought into alignment, may be united by the usual hinge pin or pintle.

It has been customary heretofore to apply hinge plates such as cl, 0, 6 against the inner side or face of the back and sides respectively; or to construct hinge plates in U-form embracing the edge portions of the respective back and sides. According to the present invention, the plates are embedded within the thickness of the leather or other cover material. 1

Assuming that the cover, back, and sides are made of suitably thick leather, the method of manufacture follows somewhat closely that set forth in my pending application No. 100,566, filed April 8, 1926, which, however, applies solely to the means of inserting a back plate or stifiening plate within the back portion of an integral cover. According to the present invention when leather is the cover material, the back a of the cover is first treated by cutting a groove 7 along its inner side at preferably the middle, and extending approximately half way through its thickness; then a suitable cutting tool is inserted in this groove and carried through toward the edges of the back a on each side of the groove, whereby .to separate its inner portion from its outer portion and form between them a pocket. This severing portion may be carried entirely through: the ends of the back, but it is preferable to stop short of the ends, as shown at 9, so as to form a closed pocket. The pocket also stops short of the edge at which the hinge connection is to be made, as shown at h. At the places corresponding to the hinge eyes a, the edges, of the cover material are cutentirelythrough. The cutting operation thus describedmay be in my said application Serial No. 100,566.

After the two pockets are cut in the manner just described, the back plate d is inserted into these pockets and its hinge eyes 0. pushed through the openings thereof so as to protrude therefrom as shown in Fig. 2. For this purpose either one of the pockets on its inner side may be cut open along lines m m in Figs. 2 and 5 to form a flap to facilitate the insertion of the inner plate, this flap being afterward cemented down; or both sides may be thus cut to form flaps if desired.

The cover sides Z), 6 are treated in similar manner, in this case the groove here lettered f being cut at any convenient distance back from the edge, and the pocket extending thence to the edge being formed in the same manner as for the back, except that the edge portion is cut through in different positions corresponding to the positions of the hinge eyes a in Fig. 2. According to the width desired for the plate 6, the pocket may be extended in the opposite direction by a simi- K lar cutting operation, as shown by the line 2' in Fig. 2, in which case. the flap overlying the plate may be out free along lines m m in Fig. 2. The plate e may then be inserted in the pocket formed in the side in the same manner already described for the plate d.

After the insertion of the plates d, e, the leather may be cemented down by any suitable cementing material.

It is preferable to form the back a either flat, as shown in Fig. 6,. or outwardly concave, as shown in Fig. 7, the latter form having some advantages with respect to the insertion of the plate (Z. \Vhen formed in either way, it should be convexed to approximately the shape shown in Fig. Sby pressing or striking between suitable dies. This op eration will bring the edges of the inner flaps on opposite sides of the groove ftogether, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, if the groove 7 has been cut of suitable width. The grooves f for the sides cannot be thus brought together and may desirably be filled by cementing in a strip of leather, as shown at If the groove fin the back is not fully closed by the bend- I ing operation, it may also be filled in similar manner if desired; but ordinarily this will not be necessary for appearance sake because usually inner plate D is employed which willwholly conceal this groove if left I open.

It is usual in such books to provide a back plate with some means for attaching to it the plate D, and this is commonly accomplished by forming it with ears or tongues 70, 7a struck up at right angles and entering through slots in the inner part of the leather and passing through holes in the plate D and being then bent down to clinch this plate to the book back.

The present invention makes a very strong, serviceable cover for loose-leaf binders which is well suited for large books and those having heavy service, such as ledgers. It has the advantage of concealing the metal plates as nearly as it is possible to conceal them, only the hinge ears being visible on the exterior. It has also the advantage that the leather, being exterior to the metal, takes all the wear, and the metal parts do not come in contact with desks or other furniture which might be scratched.

it will be understood that the showing in the drawings is somewhat ideal, the leather in actual practice being made larger or given a looser-fit with the metal plates than would appear from the figures. Thus, in Figs. 6 or 7 the leather must have sufiicient fullness on the lower or outer side so that when brought to the shape shown in Fig. 8, the leather on the exterior (being commonly the grain side of the skin} will not be unduly stretched. Also, by giving the leather suflicient fullness, theinsertion of the metal plates is facilitated. It is not necessary that the metal plates fill the ends of the pockets, that is, come directly to the end walls 9' of the pockets, as appears in Fig. 2. Nor is it essential that the hinge eyes 0 0 project outside the cover material.

If the book is not of the metal hinge type, it is only necessary to omit the hinge eyes 0 from the metal back plate or stiffening plate d, in which case of course the cover material will only have the pockets for omitted and there being nopockets to receive them.

The invention may be otherwise applied within the skill of those familiar with this art, and without departing from its essential features which are expressed in the following claims.

I claim as my invention;

1. A book cover having a back and sides hinged together, the back being formed with pocket within the material, and the hinge means including a metal hinge plate introduced into said packet and having hinge eyes adjacent the edges of the material.

2. A book cover having a back and sides hinged together, the sides being of integral material split to formpockets within the thickness of the material, such pockets being closed at the edge of the side next the back and open remote therefrom, and metal hinge plates introduced into said pockets from. the openings thereof and having hinge eyes adjacent the closed side of the pockets, said eyes exposed for engagement with reciprocal hinge eyes: on the book back. v

' 3. A book cover having a back and sides hin ed together by interengaging metal hinge plates, the back and sides being of integral material split to form pockets within the thickness of the material, said pockets closed along the hinged edges except for openings admitting the hinge eyes on said plates, and said pockets open back of said edges to permit the insertion of such plates, and metal hinge plates introduced into said pockets and having reciprocal hinge eyes entering said recesses in the pockets, and adapted upon the aligning of the hinge eyes to receive a hinge pin.

4. The method of making book covers comprising a back and sides hinged together, consisting in cutting pockets within the thickness of the back and sides, with openings through said pockets at the hinge edges, inserting metal plates into said pockets having hinge eyes which coincide with said openings, and uniting the respective hinge eyes to form hinges.

5. The method of making book covers comprising a back and sides hinged together, consisting in cutting a pocket within the thickness of the back, with openings through said pocket at the hinge edges, and inserting a metal plate into said pocket having hinge eyes which enter said openings.

6. The method of making a book cover having a back and sides hinged together, consisting in cutting pockets within the thickness of the sides with openings at the hinge edges and inserting hinge plates in said pockets with their hinge eyes entering said openings.

7 The method of making a book cover having a back and sides hinged together, the back being convex, consisting in cutting the material of the back between its inner and outer faces to form a pocket for receiving a hinge plate, inserting a hinge plate in said pocket with its hinge eyes projecting beyond the edges of the back, and bending the back to externally convex form.

8. The method of making a book cover consisting of a back and sides hinged together, consisting in cutting on the inner face of the cover material a longitudinal groove, then cutting from said groove between the outer and inner faces of the material to form a pocket for the reception of a metal hinge plate, and inserting such plate in saidpocket.

9. The method according to claim 8, with v the added step of filling the groove upon the inner side of the cover to conceal the plate. 10. The method of making a book cover consisting in cutting the material of the back on one side to form a longitudinal groove,

one direction near each end to form a free flap which can be turned back, inserting a 

